PRODUCTIVITY OF KUIBYSHEV SHEEP OF DIFFERENT INTRA-BREED TYPES

Abstract

The authors studied the productivity of Kuibyshev sheep in the Saratov region during intrabreed breeding to identify promising intrabreed types of animals with improved productive qualities. The purpose of the research was to study and substantiate the methods of improving Kuibyshev sheep using intrabreed selection in the Saratov region of the Volga region. The studies were conducted taking into account generally accepted methods. When mating Kuibyshev sheep, animals deviating to a certain intrabreed type were conditionally selected – ewes were of the meat and wool type, rams belonged to the meat type. The offspring obtained after mating were selected into groups: I – meat and wool intrabreed productive type; II – meat. When evaluating the productivity, an advantage of meat and wool type young animals over meat ones was revealed. The live weight of the meat-type ewe lambs was 5.0% higher than that of the meat-and-wool type peers, while the meat-and-wool type offspring exceeded their meat peers in dirty wool yield by 2.50% (P≥0.99). The meat-and-wool type young animals exceeded the meat individuals in pure fiber yield by 4.08%, and in pure wool yield – by 10.47% (P≥0.999). The wool fiber of the ewe lambs of both intra-breed productive types corresponded to quality 50 (29.1-31.0 μm). Thus, the best uniformity of wool fineness was characterised by the meat-and-wool type offspring, in comparison with the meat type analogues. The natural wool length of the meat-and-wool type ewe lambs was 1.29 cm higher, in comparison with their meat peers (P≥0.999). The young animals of the meat productive type had rarer wool, lower fleece density, which contained 1.85% more mechanical impurities, and less sweat. Thus, mating of ewes of the meat-wool intrabreed type with meat producers can be considered an improving selection method not only for live weight, but also for wool parameters necessary for further selection work with Kuibyshev sheep of the Saratov region of the Volga region